Press



R. MARTIN April 17, 1945.

PRESS Filed May 7, 1942 H w m 9 P kiwi z w 3 Z. 4.7, Y U iii 2:!"

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Patented Apr. 17, 1945 i This invention relatesto presss ar'iclparticularly to that class whicl-iare auaptearor use in making 1 v A, 1 'Due'to' the rapidly increasing demand for plywcodfor use in building boats; pa'riel sections for houses, airplanes and-other manufacti-iredarti ales and: the unavailability-of metals and skilled v sultant machine willhave a high. efll'ciency with" a ,minimum of'c'o'st: 1 An important feature isthat the pressco'nstitutingm-y'invention'can be built almost anywhere with ordinary tools I v Other-objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood by reference tothe' 01 lowing description in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: -Fig l is a cross section'throug-h apress constructed in accordance'with my invention and:-

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on-the'line' 2 -2-- ,As illustrative of -myinvention 'I- provide a frameconsisting oftwo U-shapedmembers I- and 2+having their respective free edges 3-an'd '4 and iand. Bin abutting relation, theedges 3- and 4 being secured together by abinderstrip-1, and theedges 5-and6 being fastened-together by a" similar strip il'so that abox-like frame is provided open at =its 'r'especti-ve ends. The frame may be supportedbn baserails 9- and i0. The upper portion of the frame carries a-iigid head member I I which may be secured to theframe inany well known manner.

Supported under thehead'and'upon the ramare-platens Hand 13. The platens may be provided with passageways l2 and-l3"- f'o'r circulav tion ofa heating medium such I as steam supplied from any suitable/source thro'u'ghth pipes-l4 and IS, the pipes I5 extending through slots l-5" in the'members I and 2 to accommodate-movementof the ram; Between 'the'platefis l'l' and I3- there is aspace 16 to receive the" materiarm be" pressed for example laminations of plywood with suitable bindingmaterial betweena'them- There may beinsulationvll between .thehhead ll I and the platen l2 and similar insulation-.ldmay beinsulation between are all rigid with the casing,- r while the platen l3, the press ram and the insulae e iissellflVIai-tin, wichi'tafkaas;

'7 1 italics-minty -7',j1942; sells in; 442,031- scram; (CL14'4T-f28'1) tion between them all move together to compress themateri'al to be treated. .To facilitate attach merit-oi the platens I2 and l"3',-the facing surfacesof the head andram may carry plates-H and I8 attached thereto by suitable fastening devices such as screws H"; The platens, with the insulati'on are then" attached to the-plates by ma chine screwsorthelike l8: l i

' Inthe bottom of the frame is a'ba'se 'block' v member 20 cut away circumferentiallyat 2'l' complementary to a cut away portion 2 2 in the. ram,

such'cut away portions forming'recesses23 and Zl-to provide facing projecting po'rtions25 and 2,6 and'an. annular space therearound between the remand base for receiving the shoeior reinforcing niember of an exp'ansible envelope located ber 33.- The member 33-,isformed ofafiexible materi-alcapable of withstanding normal; work 'ing pressures and being of substantially O-shape cross-section to provide an annular wall termihating in inwardly extending marginal edges 34: and 35, the edge 34 being secured to the base. block by a ring 34, and, the edge 35 to theramby a ring 35 which rings incompass' thereduced'por-y.

tions 25' and 26. of thebaseblock and ram respec-, tively. v The flexible member .33 thus connects the ram with thebase block and cooperates with the space 2-! to form an enclosed pressure rcham ber adapted for expansion in: the direction of the.

ram but having substantially little, perimetri'cal expansion when a pressure fluid acts withinithe chamber. To assure positive retention; of the pressure fluidthepressure chamber may be .pro-

vided with an-envelope29 consisting of webs 30 and 3|, respectively engaging theen-d .faces of the reduced portions 25- and 26, and connected bywana enlarged perimeter 32substantia1ly ceshaped in cross-section and contained in the flexible member 33. It is thus obvious "that the member 33 acts as a shoe, to reinforcethe enlargedperimeter of the envelope whenit is distended by internal pressure. 7 ,v i t The pressure fluidis admitted through pipes 36- and under control of athree-waycvalve '38 whereby the pressure fluidis admittedaitos the chamber in one position ofthe rvalveandvented from the chamber in another position as will: well be understood;

From the foregoing it willbe apparent that the material to bepressed-can be inserted inlthe space IS in the usual manner and that when pressure is generated within the envelope the ram will move toward the material and compress the laminations (if plywood is being made)v together with objects of my invention to make an efficient press" in an inexpensive manner and wherever possible conserve material by using whatever material is at hand. To this end I'have found that old tire casings admirably serve as shoes 33 and that wheel rims can be used to fasten the beads. or

free edges of the tire casings to the base block and the ram respectively. I recommend this whenever expedient but I do not wish to necessarily limit myself to their use. I prefer the tire casings because theyare cheap and have enough flexibility to move the ram into pressing position and will readily assume their normal shape when the ram is retracted by exhausting fluid from the envelope. It will be appreciated that danger of the rubber envelope chafing during the movement of the ram is prevented by enlarging its perimeter and extending it and its shoe outwardly in spacebeyond the central support.

What I claim is:

1. A press comprising a frame, a head carried by the frame, a base, a ram movable toward the. head and means for actuating the ram, said means consisting of an envelope having central upper and lower web portionsin spaced relation and connected one to the other by a peripheral portion C-shaped in cross section, a flexible shoe c-shaped in cross section surrounding the peripheral portion of the envelope, the. inner edges of the shoe being spaced apartto accommodate said web portions therebetween, one edge of the shoe being secured to the baseand the other to the ram, and means for admitting expanding fluid into the envelope.

2. A press comprising a frame, a head carried by the frame, a rigid base carriedby the frame havingan inwardly disposed constricted end, a movable ram between the head and the base having a constricted end disposed toward the constricted end on thebase, an envelope between the ram and the base, and a flexible reinforcing member surrounding the envelope, said reinforcing member having one edge secured to the constricted end of the base and another to the constricted end of the ram, and means for directing fluid under pressure into the envelope. 7

3. A press comprising a frame, a head at one end of the frame, a base at theother end of the frame, a movable ram between the head and the base and in spaced relationwith each, a constricted end on the base facing the ram, a constricted end on the ram facing the base, anenvelope between the constricted ends of the base and the ram and extending beyond the-edges thereof, the outer portion of the envelope having an enlarged form, and a reinforcing shoe for the enlarged outer portion of the envelope, said shoe consisting of a flexible member substantially cshaped in cross section having one edge fastened to the base and the other to the ram, and means for supplying fluid under pressure into the envelope, i

4. A press comprising a frame, a head atone end of the frame, a base at the other end of the frame below below said head, amovable ram between the head and the base and in spaced relation with each, a flexible tire-like casing member, in the outer part of the space between the ram and the base, means for fastening one edge of the tire-like casing member to the upper portion of the base, means for fastening the other edge of the member to the lower portion of the ram, and means for admitting fluid under pressure into the space between the base and the ram. l0

5. A press comprising a frame, a head in the frame,.a base in the frame distant from the head, a ram between the head and the base and in "spaced relation with both, a fluid pressure receivjecting portions, a member made of a flexible ing envelope between the ram and the base, the envelope being circumferentially reinforced by a flexible wall having C-shaped cross-section, said wall having its terminating edges fastened to said ram and base respectively, and means for admitting fluid under pressure into the envelope.

6. A press including, a base, a headspaced from the base, a ram movable in said space to and from the head, said base and ram being provided with annular seats, a flexible tire-like fluid receiving member having an annular wall terminating in annular bead-like edges with one edge engaging the seat of the ram and the other edge engaging the seat of the base to connect the ram with the base and provide an enclosed space between the base and the ram, and means for admitting fluid under pressure into said enclosed space to move the ram.

7. A press including a head member, a base member spaced from the head member, a movable ram located in the space between the base and head members, said ram and one of said members having facing projecting portions cooperating to provide an annular space between said member and the ram surrounding said promaterial and being substantially C-shaped in cross section arranged in said annular space and having one edge fastened to the periphery of one projecting portion and'the other edge fastened to the other projecting portion, said flexible member cooperating with the projecting portions to provide a pressure chamber between said project: ing portions and having outwardly disposed portions extending into said annular space so that the edges of said c-shaped member may spread apart to permit the ram to move without appreciably effecting the perimeter of said C-shaped member, and means for admitting a pressure medium into the pressure chamber.

8. A press including a head member, a base member spaced from the head member, a movable ram in the space between the base and head members, said ram and said base member having facing projecting portions cooperating to form an annular space between said members and surrounding said projecting portions, a fluid receiving member made of a flexible material and being substantially C-shaped in cross section and positioned in the annular space between the ram and base members and having one edge fastenedto the projecting portion ofthe ram and another edge, fastened to theprojecting portion of the basev and cooperating with said facing projecting portions to provide a pressure chamber, and means for admitting fluid pressure into the pressure chamber.

RUSSELL MARTIN. 

